Antichrist

Antichrist (Lars von Trier)

As the title suggest, Antichrist is an interpretation on Nietzsche. 'Antichrist', as a book, denounces Christianity as both a belief and practice, AND as a ethical-moral value system. As base humans we have an instinctive nature of survival, but Christianity subverts these instincts and forces us to adopt one of meekness, humility, and pity. Nietzsche saw this moral framework of Christianity as oppressive and called for a ‘transvaluation of values’. To Nietzsche, this transvaluation of values is possible when resentment of the lower classes to the superior becomes so great that they find compensation only in imagining or creating a different moral code.

Stop reading if you don’t want to know what the movie is about, Significant Spoilers Ahead

The film plays out this trajectory through the wife. Responding to the death of their son whose falling is intercut with the wife’s organism. Later we find out that she witnessed the event, taking ‘masculine’ pleasure rather than ‘acting like a mother’. Although, yes, these events do take place you can’t think of them as specifics, but as a system of logic operating on images rather than plot to work through psychological issues. Lars von Trier states he usually identifies with his female leads, the abuse and suffering is representative of his perspective on the oppressed, the subsequent action resulting as a response to enforced helplessness inflicted upon from patriarchal society. The husband ‘treats’ her from a clinical distance, as a problem to be solved not as his wife who would need love and understanding. From von Trier’s perspective this distancing causes her to take on these patriarchal myths about women (murderous, irrational, close to Satan, and one with nature) as the only escape route in which she can retain power. This is something see finally ‘understands’ from her research being able to see the representations of Gynocide (get it) in a new light.
In thinking of his past films this is a common theme for von Trier. These vicious creatures that his female protagonists become are not a conformation of dominant Western ideology, but a response and reaction against oppressive patriarchal society. The film is not to be taken literally (the animals, the acorns, a cabin named Eden, I mean, come on) but as an externalizing of psychological turmoil. In that respect, the husband’s final admission that the three sisters (cosmic deities) are not real can be taken as a realization that his own system of beliefs in psychoanalysis were based on false understanding. That he was not curing but creating a condition that lead to insanity. He kills his wife, thereby destroying any incompatibility in his way of thinking. What’s truly scary is that he (the larger He) survives and, as the final shot tells us, the cycle continues. Now, does that mean the film ends up being misogynistic or is von Trier fucking with us? That is the controversy surrounding this film, so check it out and come to your own conclusions.

i wasn't that wild about where those things are

Between school and instructor furloughs, starting tomorrow after digital I don’t have class or any other obligation for a literal week. Not only that, but nothing is imminently due when I come back. I would be a fool not to acknowledge this was make it or break it time. If I can get my projects under control and ahead of the readings I might be OK for the rest of the semester. I’m on the verge of a verge and this is exactly the sort of thinking and working time I needed. So here’s a list; I’m spelling it out in no particular order. Here is every little thing I have to get done in the week. If I put it up in some sort of public sphere then I’ll get it done in not wanting to look like some fucken idiot who can’t complete a task he knows he needs to do.

-Get the rest of the beginning BFA show shots done to see if concept will work
-Paper proposal for seminar and gather research material
-First drafts for grad school applications
-At least 5 quadrants shot
-First essay for blog
-Readings for theory classes
-Get new inner tubes for bike
-Watch films (from another list) for shot ideas and modes of representation

Link to my Project

I put a link to my project in the side bar; it's titled Satellite Project. I'm going to be updating and adding quadrants every week so check back once and awhile and watch me on my journey towards aesthetic nirvana.

AMANDA!! Look at Me

Wound Footage- Thorsten Fleisch, view it here

Here’s the video I was talking about. The set up is this- Film footage sent through a projector is being shot digitally. The film ends up jumping the sprockets, getting stuck and melting. Here is where the first sign of noticeable digital video comes in. Overwhelmed by the intensity of the projector light, video had a noticeably hard time rendering (is that the right word?) the blank image. Digital noise and artifacts become present over a blank screen of white. The video even drops frames. Film regains its hold, and the intent becomes clear. First a film degradation, then a digital one, and last both happing together. Geometrical RGB squares and lines meet with the more organic scratches, marks, and color fades of film. I like the idea of purposing messing up digital video, but when I was talking about this piece I kind of remembered it as a Kaufman-esque metajoke where the viewer thinks the ‘real’ video is just playing poorly like a fucked up DVD. I forgot how logical the work was but that’s not a complaint.

midterms? naw man i already ate

so i shot in three different quadrants today, here is a quick pic from each. i'm thinking of not printing anything for the midterm because what's the point, these are not thought of as individual prints and my final form will resemble something more like a book. i'll try to see if i can get something on the web or that sort of format

Quadrant 17; image #3, 12521 Brookshire Downey 1:23pm

Quadrant 3- image #2; back corner of strip mall on NE corner of Bellflower/South Lakewood 3:06pm

Quadrant 6- image #4; 462 Silva Long Beach 4:13pm

Film Reviews, kind of

9 (Shane Acker) 64- Humans destroy the world through the misuse of technology, machines have taken over, lone scientist trying to fix mistake… Nothing ‘new’ about this film but form and context are more interesting than usual. Although no live humans are present, 9 takes place within the real world, that is to say Earth. Artifacts of human existences remain (broken down buildings, but also smaller items like stained glass windows, buckets, scissors, candles, books, etc.) and coupled with the extreme attention to detail of the CGI and sound design the film enters into the uncanny (a la Toy Story) where you forget this is essentially a cartoon. The scientist is the true hero, showing not only that one person can make a difference but also place the responsibly of a solution back on the people who created the problem. Would like to make the case that each different numbered creation is some extension of the scientist but the argument is kind of thin and simply reduces people into simplistic characterisation.

Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer) 48- or my changing position on Jesse Eisenberg. Thinking back to what to what I said about Adventureland, I unfairly compared Eisenberg to Cera. Both have this under-the-breath/in-the-margins style of dialogue (just know that Hugh Grant has been doing this for years churning out consistently funny rom-com; Music and Lyrics and others.), but where Cera uses his as a wise-ass passive aggressive form of engagement, Eisenberg’s comes from a place of simple frankness. His is more of a dry wit, a monotone delivery of a statement of facts. Also I feel that his characters are much more independent/free thinkers than Cera’s outsider, timid turtle approach. It’s the difference between an eccentric and someone who’s just socially awkward. Oh, you want to know about the film itself. I didn’t find it all that funny and kind of long even at 80 mins. Even in the ‘end of days’ people still form white patriarchal heterosexual relationships, and were they really that stupid to think turning on all the lights and rides at the amusement park wasn’t going to attract every zombie in the area. Did anyone else find the sequence where they destroy the Native American store slightly racists?

Surrogates (Jonathan Mostow) 44- *In a world where people actually live as their avatars any ‘real’ connection to the outside world is loss*. Movie only gets interesting when Bruce Willis disconnects himself, allowing an actual human to rub up against the synthetic ones. Wasted what could have been a good premise (why I’m still surprised these Hollywood action films do that is beyond me, but one day I’ll find one that doesn’t and be fucken all over it) where the outer world literally reflects peoples inner states with traditional roles of gender, race, age, and class no longer apply. Chase sequence in human resistance camp somewhat good with a Burtynsky-esque environment of discarded shipping containers. Which reminds me I’ve seen like three different post referring to Manufactured Landscapes, has anyone even bothered to watch it, the second half is dead boring.

Blood Simple (Joel Coen) 53- If you don’t think you’re influenced by the people you surround yourself with know this- the Coens were living with Frances McDormand and Sam Raimi when they made this.

Star Wars (George Lucas) who cares- Watched it for completionist reasons. (My brother and me are working backwards through AFI’s top 100 list. Shit got in the way and we pretty much have been at a stand still for like two years only recently picking back up.) To be honest I wanted to skip it. Of course I’ve seen it, well more than once, and outside of historical and cultural importance I’m just kind of ehh about it. Thirty minuets in I realized that this film is unratable and, even more so, throws my whole rating system into relief. How do you rate something where you’ve sen more references and parodies than the thing itself? Can I admire something without really liking it? Where does this film stand amongst others, or in other words, how do I establish value, by historicist? formal considerations? context? theoretical issues? personal preference? Few quick thought though- I never realized how much non-human dialogue there is esp. in the first half. Why does everything I thought I knew have some weird pronunciation, Millenium Faulcon? The end award sequence has apparently become some kind of cornerstone and that’s not a good thing.

redcat, monday, BE THERE

Ken Jacobs (one the biggies when it comes to post-war experimental and avant-garde cinema) is going to be screening some work this Monday night. From what I can tell it's not film or video based but a manipulation of projectors and other material creating pure light based abstraction. It's one of those space specific one time only events, the art object itself cannot be saved or duplicated. I get out of class around 630 and pretty much bouncing to the blue line, so if you're on campus and what to join be my guest. It starts at 830 and is seven bucks for students.

Website information here

more music based inspiration

Between Amanda's post and my own interest I remembered this video from awhile back. This is early Bad Dudes when Daniel Brummel (guy on right with afro and guitar) was still with them. Their music is very video game based, think 8-bit and snes RPG's, but (and i got into an arguement about this) it's not from any individual games per se. It's inspired from a style of music that is most often synthly made and highly repetitive. They perform around the Los Angeles area sometimes but that's a big sometimes, usually at the smell. They also have a fair amount of music out and if you searched hard enough I'm sure you can find the zip files.

Maps Ahoy!!!

Brought to you by scotch tape and American ingenuity

So I finially got my map constructed. Next I will be making these cresent moon shapes much like this shape, ( , all over the map radiating out from Lakewood. I'm going to be making these marks somewhat intuitively/quickly not being to concerned about placement, most likely I'll try to make some kind of aestheticly pleasing pattern over the top. I don't know this map well at all so I don't think I'll be too inclined to give myself favorable placements, aka easy locations to visit. Along this ( shape I will place dots indicating exactly where to take the photo at, the number of dots will be determinded by the first lottery number in the newspaper that day, locations will not have dots ahead of time but be placed on day they will be visited. Each photo will be taken with the same focal length lens, around the same time of day (I'm thinking like between 11-3), pointing back towards Lakewood. This way my own interperation of the landscape is taken out of it. I like this compromise between elements I'm in control of and ones I'm not.

2 or 3 things i learned by having a gallery

-You need two, not three, inch screws or nails
-If you saw my frames and thought they looked good then go to:
The Framing House Design
942 N Broadway #101B
Los Angeles, 90012
213-621-0295
-Don't worry about the unevenness of the walls or the scuffed up floor, if people are focusing more on that than your work you have bigger problems
-When it comes time to spackle and repaint the walls best to bring your own paint brush, I can almost guarantee the ones in the equipment room will be dried out and useless

zzzzzzz

Totally slept through my alarm and woke up like a half hour ago, aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Films Seen, October 2009

I’m going to be adding to this post as I see ‘em, so check back if you’re interested

first viewing unless otherwise stated, - seen on video, / internet or computer viewing, + projected DVD or VHS, v video piece, s short, m medium

The Argentine (Steven Soderbergh, 2008): 60
Surrogates (Jonathan Mostow): 44
Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer): 48
+La noire de... (Ousmane Sembene, 1966): m
+Can You Seen Me (Brian Bress, 2005): v
+Rock Your Body (Brian Bress, 2005): v
+Rock Cowboy (Brian Bress, 2006): v
+Brian Quest (Brian Bress, 2006): v
+Portait Room (Brian Bress, 2006): v
+It's Been A Long Day (Brian Bress, 2009): v
+Status Report (Brian Bress, 2009): v
Guerrilla (Steven Soderbergh, 2008): 65
Che (entirety): 58; the sums are greater than the whole here
-Last Days (Ben Russell, 2004): s
-Extra Terrestrial (Ben Russell, 2004): s
-The Tawny (Ben Russell, 2003): s
-Michoacan: La Muerta/El Traidor (Ben Russell, 2006): s
-Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977): grading/viweing- who cares
-Julia (Erick Zonca, 2008): 82
Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze): 63
+Scorpio Rising (Kenneth Anger, 1964): vm
+Better Luck Tomorrow (Justin Lin, 2002): 74; second viewing, amateur acting and short run time keeps this out of the 80s
+Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929): masterpiece
Antichrist (Lars von Trier): 60
-Encounters At the End of the World (Werner Herzog, 2007): 66
-The Girlfriend Experience (Steven Soderbergh): second viewing, still 77

Put on the Hat, and the Overalls...

Jonathan Mann, aka GameJew, is a personal hero of mine and a major source of inspiration. I found out about him in late 2007. He was doing these videos on ScrewAttack about his excitement of the release of Nintendo’s new system the Wii. (The Angry Video Game Nerd started there too if that means anything to anyone.) The videos were awesome in the kind of way when passion and energy far exceed talent. I always had the feeling that he became frustrated on not becoming one of those viral sensations after that. Well, he burned through a few personal sites and now can be found on Rock Cookie Bottom where he embarked on this ridiculous song a day project. I probably should devote some more time talking about his style of songwriting and the implementation of the jingle but for now here’s a quick introduction; I’ll save that for another post.
X-Play musical can be viewed here